We protect what our clients have worked so hard to build

We have assisted our clients with over $20 million in claims

We ensure financial security for our clients and their families

ABOUT US

You are our priority.We care.

Priority Life is one of Australia’s leading risk advisory firm, protecting over 1600 professionals, Australia wide since 1992.

Working specifically with lawyers, medical professionals, business owners and accountants alike, we provide expert advice on Life and Disability insurance.

Being privately owned, we look at the wider-market and find the most suitable products for your circumstances. With an impeccable history in claims advocacy, we are confident that in the event of your sickness or passing, your claim will be processed efficiently and effectively for the sake of you and your loved ones.

WHAT WE DO

Our process is simple.

1. Discover

2. Research

3. Advice

4. Implementation

5. Claims Assistance

6. Annual Review

1. Discover

We listen and we don’t act until we understand.

Our advisers will start by establishing a crystal-clear understanding of your personal and/or business circumstances and identify what is important to you. In this introductory stage, we will also ask you a few questions around your budgetary guidelines and expenses to establish a clear understanding of the types of cover most suitable for you.

2. Research

We uncover the cover best for you.

Your adviser and their paraplanner undertake thorough market wide research across all insurers and carry out in-depth policy & contract analysis. All our research takes into account a pre-assessment of any medical & financials issues and includes in-depth premium analysis.

3. Advice

We provide intelligent and expert advice.

Our advisers will discuss the outcome of the research and an evaluation of the proposed levels of cover. We will provide a Statement of Advice and discuss the best options for you and your circumstances.

4. Implementation

We make it easy for you.

Our dedicated administrators will arrange all paperwork, fast tracking any medical & financial requirements. Priority Life have considerable expertise in negotiating medical loadings or exclusions which is a huge benefit to the client at this point in the process.

5. Claims Assistance

We don’t give up until you are paid in full.

Our team manage the entire claims process, arranging all paperwork, working in collaboration with clients and their family to ensure prompt payments; and of course, negotiating on your behalf.

6. Annual Review

We keep you and your cover up-to-date.

Each year we will review your policy, discuss your levels of cover and make amendments if required. All members receive a summary of schedules and taxation information from Priority Life and their insurer year on year.

Testimonials

For over 15 years I have always had absolute confidence that David and his great team at Priority Life have been focused on what is best for me and my family.

“You have kept our insurances up-to-date with both professionalism and wonderful service.”

Dr Ken Sikaris- PathologistApril 19, 2017

“Your dedication to achieving optimal results for your clients is most impressive.”

Dr Alain Lavoipierre- RadiologistApril 5, 2017

“It is comforting to work with professionals who understand the products from the life companies as well as their client’s needs and risks to ensure that the insurance policies in place are always relevant for the risk with careful consideration of the cost.”

Mark Hammerschlag - DirectorApril 30, 2017

For over 15 years I have always had absolute confidence that David and his great team at Priority Life have been focused on what is best for me and my family.

“You have kept our insurances up-to-date with both professionalism and wonderful service.”

Dr Ken Sikaris- PathologistApril 19, 2017

“Your dedication to achieving optimal results for your clients is most impressive.”

Dr Alain Lavoipierre- RadiologistApril 5, 2017

“It is comforting to work with professionals who understand the products from the life companies as well as their client’s needs and risks to ensure that the insurance policies in place are always relevant for the risk with careful consideration of the cost.”

Mark Hammerschlag - DirectorApril 30, 2017

HOW WE ARE DIFFERENT

Case Studies

We investigate the ‘fine print’

A surgeon in the prime of his career came to us to review his insurances

He has cover through a major insurer as well as some Income Protection cover through a major Queensland based superannuation scheme

To do his dismay we discovered that his Income Protection through the super scheme would not be payable if he was receiving a claim through the major insurer, essentially, he was paying thousands of dollars to this cover that he could never claim on

Once this was identified we recommended a policy that covered his full benefit amount and stopped the payments of premium to the redundant policy

We insure the otherwise uninsurable

A 63 y/o business owner is not able to establish a new TPD policy because of his age

Priority Life negotiated with the insurance company to make a special offer to the satisfaction of the client

We ensure fair claims assessment

61 y/o client suffers a heart attack

Surgeon inserted 4 stents rather than a by-pass surgery

Insurer rejected the trauma claim as the definition of a heart attack under the trauma contract requires by-pass surgery

Priority Life interceded and worked with the company and client, as a result the decision on the claim was changed, and the client received a payout of $500,000

TYPES OF COVER

We offer specialist risk advice on:

Life Insurance provides a lump sum benefit to your beneficiaries or estate in the event of your death, or diagnosis of a terminal illness. This is one of the most common types of cover taken out as it provides financial security directly to your loved ones and is paid out as a lump sum.

Income Protection enables you to receive 75% of your income, divided as a monthly benefit in the event of an accident or injury that leaves you unable to work for longer than your selected waiting period. This allows you to manage your monthly expenses and lifestyle requirements without extra financial pressures.

Total & Permanent Disability (TPD) is a lump sum insurance product that pays out when the person insured cannot ever work again. Definitions of disability can be occupation specific (Own Occupation) or general in nature (Any Occupation) and is an important consideration our advisers discuss with you.

Critical Illness is a lump sum insurance product that pays out when the person insured suffers from an illness from a predetermined list provided by the insurer. It does not matter if you can or cannot go back to work, you will receive the lump sum regardless.

For some doctors an important risk they consider is the possibility of contracting a serious disease such as Hepatitis B, C or HIV from a needlestick injury. This insurance cover is payable as a lump sum and is designed to compensate for potential income lost.

Key Person Insurance protects the financial position of a business, by insuring a ‘key’ or integral person to that business. The policy is usually owned and paid for by the company and is used to offset the estimated financial losses to the business in the event of the death, total and permanent disablement or critical illness of the key person and is paid as a lump sum.

Designed exclusively for doctors, MediBroker is Priority Life’ dedicated solution offering expert advice on risk insurance to the medical fraternity.

The team at MediBroker understand that becoming a doctor requires a high level of cognitive ability and, for procedural specialities, a superior level of dexterity. Insurance policies designed for ‘every-Australian’ are unlikely to deliver in ‘grey-areas’ such as partial incapacity, blood-borne virus infection and where locums are employed. This is why MediBroker exists.

We ensure that our clients cover is tailored to their personal circumstances and most importantly, specific to your occupation.

There are some obvious reasons doctors are unique such as the demanding nature of their work and the often arduous path to qualification.

What many fail to appreciate is that doctors face unique risks on top of a huge demand on their personal time. Medicine requires a high level of cognitive ability and, for procedural specialities, a superior level of dexterity. Insurance policies designed for ‘every-Australian’ are unlikely to deliver in ‘grey-areas’ such as partialincapacity, blood-borne virus infection and where locums are employed. Product issues aside, doctors need a special kind of support. They need those they trust to operate with a superior attention to detail and thoughtfulness in all they do.

Similarly, first-rate service and time-saving convenience becomes extremely important when your time is in such high demand.

Own occupation specific cover

Disability refers to when a person is unable to function in a so called ‘normal’ capacity. Considering the nature of a doctor’s work, it’s important for disability cover to relate to the specifics they do and relate to the potentially huge loss of financial gain that they would have if they were disabled.

At MediBroker we delve into the specifics of what Own Occupation needs to look like and we seek to cover it from multiple angles. Not only do we want our clients to be covered if they cannot do the duties of their own occupation, we consider whether a reduction in hours that they are able to work will prompt a claim as well as a loss of income due to a sickness or injury.

The ability to work up to 10 hours a week in one’s own occupation is particularly valuable for self-employed people who often need to continue working in some capacity while they are otherwise fully off work (disabled).

Agreed Value on Income Protection

Just like insuring assets, e.g. a car, can be done on an agreed value or one that can be reduced such as market value; Income Protection can be set up on either Agreed or Indemnity cover.

Agreed insurance is typically sort after by doctors in private practice and doctors who are experiencing an increase to their income such as newly qualified professionals. The latter, often face a distinct challenge in getting agreed cover as their prior income e.g.: whilst doing their Fellowship year, is typically much less than what they will be earning once their private practice is up and running. This often means they can’t get the level of agreed value cover they are seeking.

MediBroker negotiate special arrangements for this group with key providers to solve this problem.

Needlestick Cover

For some doctors a key concern is acquiring HIV or Hepatitis B and C from a needlestick injury.

Some Income Protection policies will provide a booster payment for this event free of charge, others will offer it as an additional cost and some policies won’t cover it at all.

Rather than assuming every doctor is seeking this booster cover we discuss their potential risk and their concerns around it and if the cover is to be included, we pay particular attention to the offerings of each insurer.

Major flaws with many super based covers

While a nominal amount of Income Protection is often included with superannuation funds, most of these offerings include a very problematic clause in their policy wordings.

Many policies include an offset of other Income Protection policies which means that technically, there is no value in having another policy because if you take out a second policy, you can’t claim on it.

MediBroker has also discovered other issues with these policies, such as:

Payments are only based on base salary and do not include other employment benefits e.g.: overtime and super.

Cover is on an Indemnity basis, meaning payouts can be reduced where income has been reduced at the time.

Cover cannot be set as level which means that premiums are escalating with age.

A situation where the client is redeployed within the public health system e.g.: medical administrator, would result in no payments to the client.

You can only access your benefit if you have used up all your sick leave.

Business Expenses

Business Expenses Insurance is most relevant to self-employed medical professionals who would have significant ongoing expenses if they were disabled (on a month by month basis). Without it, they would typically need to fund these expenses either through their Income Protection, their cash reserves, or go into debt. These expenses are mostly made up of staffing costs and premises leasing costs while they are off work.

Unfortunately, this is an area of cover that is often neglected and seems to be an afterthought for advisers and clients and can be a real problem when it’s not in place. One of the key problems MediBroker has found with certain policies is that partial disability is not included.

Lucy Young

Jonte Antonino

Silvia Stella

Mel Novak

David Davidson

David Davidson

Managing Director

David has worked in the Financial Services sector for over 20 years, and is widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading risk insurance advisers. He has a passion for the relationships with his clients, and working with them to find the best possible solution for them. David specialises in complicated medical and underwriting issues, and is well known for always working to find the best outcome available on the market for his clients.

Partners

Advisors

Support Staff

Bradley Gecelter

Bradley Gecelter

Partner

A graduate of the MLC Adviser Scholarship Program, Bradley brings a fresh and passionate approach to Priority Life, and the Financial Services industry His strong communication skills, professional and personal approach, along with his attention to detail are testament to his ongoing success. Bradley is steadily establishing himself as one of the best in the business when it comes to looking after medical specialists in all disciplines.

Partners

Advisors

Support Staff

Aaron Zelman

Aaron Zelman

Partner

Aaron has helped his clients claim over $4m in disability and trauma claims since he commenced his career as a Risk Adviser in 2004 with Priority Life. In 2012 Aaron founded MediBroker where he personally advised over 500 doctors and their families. In 2016, Priority Life acquired MediBroker, maintaining it as a reputable brand of the Priority Life company.

Aaron holds a Masters of Financial Planning (RMIT) & a Bachelor of Business / Arts (Monash University) and quite honestly, lives and breathes Life Insurance. Aaron is an active adviser in the Financial Industry winning IFA Risk Adviser of the Year 2015 and 2016, The Financial Standard Prize in Social Media ('The Influencer') and the Riskinfo Innovation Award.

He is a Platinum adviser to multiple Australian Life Insurers; has been featured in The Sydney Morning Herald, Money Management, Professional Adviser and Riskinfo; is an Advisory
Board Member to BT Life, Asteron Life, AIA Australia and was the founder of Australian Risk Advisers (group of over 3,000 fellow advisers).

Aaron is a family man with 4 kids and 1 wife(!). He is a keen musician who once sang on stage with Stevie Wonder and danced on stage with Prince (video available on request). He values family time (inc. watching Frozen), being happy, healthy, and wise above the joy of materialism.

Partners

Advisors

Support Staff

Wayne Boudrie

Wayne Boudrie

Risk Advisor

Wayne’s history in the Financial Services industry is extensive both in Australia and overseas, stretching back to 1981 in the UK where he was the director of a major firm looking after partners of international law firms, members of British Parliament and the House of Lords. Wayne’s wealth of experience and knowledge of the insurance market really shows through in his approach to assessing his clients needs and supporting them through to the best coverage option available.

Partners

Advisors

Support Staff

Gary Douglas

Gary Douglas

Risk Advisor

Gary Douglas joined Priority Life in January 2018 and is a specialist risk insurance adviser with 25 years + of experience. For the previous ten years Gary managed the personal and business insurance requirements for a Private Bank’s high net worth clients in Melbourne and Adelaide. Gary's specialty is structuring tailored insurance portfolios for high income earning clients and negotiating the best terms available with insurance company underwriters.His strong communication skills combined with his professional and personal approach makes him a popular speaker; he has delivered insurance presentations to clients and advisers in New Zealand, South Africa, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.

Partners

Advisors

Support Staff

Mark Young

Mark Young

Operations Manager

Mark entered the Financial Services Industry in 1994, and after 5 years as a Senior Distribution Manager with Tyndall Life, Mark became a partner in PlanTech Consulting. PlanTech became the market leader for Insurance Software Solutions for Advisers and was acquired by Iress Market Technologies in 2007.

In 2008 Mark joined Certainty Financial and as Managing Director helped transition the business into a boutique Corporate Advisory business that was purchased by Australian Unity.

Mark has maintained an association with Priority Life for over 20 years and with his experience in the insurance and software business combined with his passion for process improvement will help drive operational efficiency for Priority Life.

Partners

Advisors

Support Staff

Jay Nguyen

Jay Nguyen

Senior Paraplanner

Jay came to Priority Life after a long association with insurance and the wider financial industry. He started his career working for a large Australian bank as a lending and mobile banking manager before making the decision to move into insurance. His work at UHG, one of the key providers of medical evidence solutions in the insurance industry, and a leading holistic financial planning firm has given him a unique edge when providing support to the advisers and our clients. His breadth of experience provides the Priority Life team with a unique resource through his extensive insurance knowledge, keen eye for research and client management abilities.

Partners

Advisors

Support Staff

Joshua Davidson

Joshua Davidson

Senior Paraplanner

Joshua joined Priority Life in 2014 with a diverse range of professional experience. After completing a Bachelor of Business at Monash University, he has worked in the financial services industry, Marketing, Buyers Advocacy, Web design, Arts and Antiquities and Property Development. He brings with him vast knowledge of different industries, and his experience and creativity are invaluable to the Priority Life team.

Partners

Advisors

Support Staff

Sabrina Donnelly

Sabrina Donnelly

Paraplanner

Sabrina began her career in the financial services sector working in a Paraplanning role in a Financial Advisory firm in Dublin, Ireland. During her time there she completed a Diploma in Financial Advice (QFA) from University College Dublin. Sabrina has recently moved to Australia and is looking forward to furthering her career in risk insurance within the Australian market and has become an important part of Priority Life.

Partners

Advisors

Support Staff

Moshe Chaiton

Moshe Chaiton

Paraplanner

Originally from South Africa, Moshe joined Priority Life in the beginning of 2016. With a wealth of experience in leadership and customer relations roles, he always had a keen eye for detail and assisting clients achieve their ultimate goals.

Relocating to Australia in early 2015, Moshe worked in a boutique Financial Planning firm and dealt with both clients and insurers daily. Moshe completed his Diploma in Financial Planning in 2015 to go along with his Q3 Bookkeeping Certification. He is currently studying a BSc in Accounting and Finance via the London School of Economics (LSE).

Partners

Advisors

Support Staff

Lucy Young

Lucy Young

Office Manager

Lucy joined the Priority Life team in 2015 with a background in Group Insurance and Human Resources. She graduated from Monash University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Management and Human Resources. Lucy brings with her a sunny disposition and excellent communication skills ensuring everything operates smoothly in the office.

Partners

Advisors

Support Staff

Jonte Antonino

Jonte Antonino

Administration Assistant

A passionate and dedicated learner, Jonte brings a youthful and fresh energy to the Priority Life team. In his final year of a Bachelor of Commerce at Monash University, Jonte has relished the opportunity to support the Priority Life team by providing administrative assistance on a part-time basis. A confident communicator with a highly professional working manner, Jonte is committed to developing his technical proficiency in Risk Insurance and ensuring high-level efficiency and accuracy in the support he provides to the Priority Life team.

Silvia Stella

Silvia Stella

Partners

Advisors

Support Staff

Mel Novak

Mel Novak

Marketing Development Manager

Mel has a real passion for looking outside of the square and harnessing creativity and innovation. She loves to collaborate with others and develop strategies that promote client engagement and relationship development. Mel has a First Class Honors in Psychology and an Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning. She has worked in financial services for over 12 years, both in the UK and Australia. She injects fun and warmth into everything she does. One of her greatest satisfactions is working alongside our clients and supporting them with their personal professional goals and social media presence.

As this website contains general advice that has been prepared without taking account of your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should consider the appropriateness of this advice before acting on it. If this general advice relates to acquiring a financial product, you should obtain a Product Disclosure Statement before deciding to acquire the product. This information may be regarded as general advice. That is, your personal objectives, needs or financial situations were not taken into account when preparing this information. Where the information related to a particular financial product, you should obtain and consider the relevant product disclosure statement before making any decisions to purchase that financial product. Authorised Representative of Bombora Advice Pty Ltd. AFSL No: 439065David Davidson Financial Services PTY LTD, ABN 31 503 812 944, is a corporate authorised representative of Bombora Advice PTY LTD ABN 40 156 250 565, AFSL NO. 439065. Registered Office at Level 2, 406 Collins street Melbourne VIC 3000